Petrified

In the early 1980s, the city of Lahti commissioned works of art from Lahti-based artists to increase the amenity of the new City Theatre. Using funds for the purchase of art included in the theatre’s construction budget, works were commissioned from Olavi Lanu, Reino Hietanen, Mauno Hartman, Matti Koskela and Raimo Utriainen. Works by Lanu and Utriainen are located outdoors, while the others are inside the theatre.

Lanu’s Petrified shows five human figures crouching on a rock with their backs to the viewer. Their heads bowed, the huddled figures hide their faces from the viewer. Curled up in their interiority and pressed against each other, the faceless beings create an aura of mystery. Made of tinted concrete, the surface of the work imitates Finnish rock and stone. The total weight of the work is 50 tonnes. At the time of its completion, it was the heaviest single sculpture by Lanu.

Artwork on the map

In front of the entrance to the Lahti City Theatre. – Kirkkokatu 14, Lahti.
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